L is for Letting Go

We’ve all been there. We’ve seen something online or heard something through the grapevine and it gets us all riled up and angry. We “know” that WE are right and those other crazy people are wrong. We know that it is our duty to correct them and call them on their mistakes. We must fix them.

There are so many different opinions and ideas and theories in this world. Is it possible that there might be some truths in all of them? Is it so hard to grasp that someone else’s choices really don’t have any bearing on our own? Is it really that difficult to just live and let live?

Social media, email and even the gossip train are great places to learn new things and state your opinion. It’s so easy to quickly gather a massive audience and share your thoughts and ideas. But, as easy as it is for you, it’s just as easy for other people. Every now and then you’ll find someone who totally believes in what you’re saying and will agree with your wholeheartedly. But quite often, you end up butting heads and finding yourself in a big mess of hurt feelings and jumbled words.

I’m all for fighting for a cause, and standing up for yourself. I believe in debate and fighting fair. I believe in lifting people up and helping them become better versions of themself. I also believe that lots of people feel that way but once they get caught up in a debate concerning something that they’re passionate about, they snap. All common sense goes out the window and the fight is on.

We are not the same, we don’t think the same and we’ll never act the same. Quit trying to force YOUR perfect will on someone else. There will be lots of times when you will be right, but other people will still not want any part of it. All you can do is present your case with grace and humility and hope that they get something from it. There really is nothing else you can do.

Please also remember that people always have reasons for the things that they do. We may never understand them, but they are reasons nonetheless. People used to get really upset with me when I let my son eat on the floor. I would get looks and opinions all the time. What no one knew is that my son was sick, all the time, and we needed to build up his immune system. One of the safest way for him to do that was to eat on the floor amongst the dirt and germs. He still ate off a plate, I didn’t just throw his meal on the hardwood and let him eat like a dog, so it really wasn’t that bad. But people still judged me. For the people who actually asked me why, they were satisfied with the answer and left it alone.

If you see something you don’t understand, ask a question. If you sincerely want to know why people do things a certain way, ask them instead of automatically judging. You may actually be amazed by what you learn, and just might find their different “way” may be just what you were looking for. You might also end up thinking they’re crazier than you thought they were before, and that’s okay. The world is a colourful place, it is these differences that make it interesting.

The trick is to take what you need from the conversations, and just let the rest go. Speak your peace, listen to theirs and if it’s obvious that you’ll never agree, just walk away. Don’t engage and don’t let their difference in opinion take you down. At some point, your mental health needs to be more important than being “right”.

Choose your battles wisely … and decide early on if this particular cross is the one you want to die on. Be good to each other and yourself.

This post is Day 14 of the Summer Blog Challenge – 31 posts in 31 Days